


Transfiguration Troubles

by GirlWithaPearlEarring



Series: Slytherin Ginny [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Everything else is incidental, F/M, Ginny & Ron as Twins, No Genderbending here, Slytherin Ginny Weasley, This exists because I believe Draco Malfoy deserves a tarantula to the face, fraternal twins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-11-19 12:56:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11313861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GirlWithaPearlEarring/pseuds/GirlWithaPearlEarring
Summary: [Warning: features an AU in which Ginny and Ron Weasley are twins and Ginny is in Slytherin.]Ginny and Draco's antagonism comes to a head during Transfiguration. It's all Nott's fault, really.





	Transfiguration Troubles

**Author's Note:**

> This ficlet would fit in somewhere in their fourth year, when the hostility between Draco and Ginny is building steadily in intensity (before it comes to a peak in their fifth year when Lucius is interred at Azkaban). Because, as all D/G passengers know, this isn't always a pleasure cruise.

This was entirely Nott's fault. If he hadn't still been in the hospital wing after the Bludger incident, Malfoy would've had a partner and the delicate ecosystem of Slytherin classroom-pairings wouldn't have been disrupted.

Ginny could see a little of McGonagall's reasoning here, even as she glared fiercely down at Malfoy's pale-blond head while he looked moodily through his bag for the textbook. She was the only one of the usual crowd who wouldn't either completely ignore him or be bullied into doing his work for him. And forget breaking up Crabbe and Goyle; if those two weren't paired up, there would be missing limbs by the end of the period.

“If you're looking for your father's arse to shove your head in further,” she began, copying his signature drawl, “I can always leave you alone with the bag.”

Malfoy's head shot up, his cheeks tinged pink. He fumbled slightly then all but shoved _Intermediate Transfiguration_ at her head. She caught it before it could jab her in the eye and slammed it down, rifling to the appropriate page.

Skimming through what she'd wanted to check, she looked up at Daphne and Pansy enviously then hissed in pain as a goblet came flying through the air and glanced off the side of her head. Rubbing the spot furiously, she glared across the table.

“Whoops,” said Malfoy, deadpan. He set the goblet delicately on the table. Ginny resisted the urge to hex him. Instead, she shoved the book under his nose and pointed to the section on changing kitchenware to lizards.

As she raised her wand to attempt the spell, Malfoy cleared his throat, sneering. She sighed. “What?”

“You're braver than I thought, using that old wand. How many months did your father have to scrape through at the ministry to secure that for you?”

Ginny's temper flared as she made a split-second decision. She pushed the unicorn hair poking out the end of Charlie's old wand and attempted the spell, using a very slight variation in pronunciation. The goblet shuddered then sprouted four more legs than necessary and a lot of bristling black hair.

“Whoops,” said Ginny as Malfoy screamed at the enormous tarantula bearing down on his left eyebrow.

 

* * *

 

The resulting detention had been entirely expected but completely worth it. McGonagall pulling Ginny aside after class, however, was something else altogether.

“As I know for a fact you received full marks on this particular spell only last spring, I have only one piece of advice for you, Miss Weasley.” McGongagall's mouth was very thin. “Keep an eye on that temper of yours. Being so easily provoked is quite beneath you at this stage. Not to mention quite dangerous.”

“Professor?”

“Dismissed, Weasley.”

As she left, feeling mildly confused, McGonagall called after her, “And do give my regards to Mr. Nott this evening, would you?”

Ginny closed the classroom door firmly, scowling at the wood.

 

* * *

 

It wasn't like they were her chocolate frogs though, which made this whole situation slightly better. Stealing from Crabbe and Goyle was even almost like stealing from Malfoy, they kept such close tabs on each other. Nott was still smirking at her from a nearby bed, left eye obscured by a huge wad of gauze. She attempted to kill him with her eyes and made a violent gesture across her throat in warning.

Malfoy's pitiful sounds of pain disappeared with Madam Pomfrey as she moved away to her office. He looked vaguely anxious about Ginny's arrival.

Not looking to extend the moment, Ginny dumped the chocolate frog packets on his lap and leaned in to peer at his face, scowling.

“Looks like the swelling's down, huh?” she asked in her most vicious tone.

Malfoy leaned away, looked highly discomfited. Ginny wasn't sure by which part. “Weasley, what--?”

“If there's an Anansi card in there, it's mine,” she pronounced, grinning nastily. He flinched and glared at her. Raising her eyebrows, she turned and walked away, throwing a “See you in class!” over her shoulder and ignoring Nott's impressed whistle.

 

**Author's Note:**

> -About this AU: Ginny is mostly the same, personality wise, with two important distinctions: she's a lot more driven (about life in general) and lot more keen to stand out from her siblings (which was a large part of being sorted into Slytherin). I feel the whole being-Ron's-twin thing helped this particular characterization along.
> 
> -Yes, I realize turning objects into animals would've been more third year work. Fourth year was more about changing animals into other animals (or occasionally objects). Just assume they're reviewing or that reptiles are particularly complex to work with, idk.
> 
> -And yes, that is Charlie's old wand that Ginny is stuck with, not Ron (as is canon). The short version is they played Gobstones for it and Ron is a filthy cheat.
> 
> -Anansi is one of the (very, very many) names attributed to the spider god of the Ashanti people of Ghana. I'm taking creative license here and assuming the legends sprout from an ancient wizard animagus who could turn into (you guessed it) a spider. I was really hoping I could find some kind of Malay spider legend, referencing the fact that Acromantulas were first found in Borneo, but that mythology is either very lacking or very poorly documented (being more of an oral tradition). 
> 
> -Ginny is friends with Millicent and Daphne for sure, but at this point in the books has been pulling away from Pansy as she becomes more and more obsessed with Malfoy and starts to spout the bullshit pureblood mania he's known for.
> 
> -Typical Slytherin classroom-pairings: Crabbe/Goyle, Malfoy/Nott, Zabini/Millicent, Ginny/Daphne/Pansy. So, since Nott is absent, Malfoy/Ginny and Daphne/Pansy. Millicent is Zabini's usual partner because she's the only one who he respects enough (for one reason or another) to not shut down completely when she won't put up with his aloof holier-than-thou attitude.
> 
> -Yes, Ginny is still friendly with the Golden Trio, her family, and pretty much anyone in the school who isn't a complete asshole (Malfoy). In fact, a good portion of her characterization in this attributes to the blasé, almost detached air she achieves in a few of her book mentions. Ginny doesn't have time for your inter-house antagonistic bullshit, tyvm.


End file.
